This invention generally relates to the field of data communications networks. More particularly, this invention pertains to a noncontention-based multiple access protocol for a data communications network having a number of users communicating from individual remote stations to a central station over a single optical infrared channel.
A multipoint digital communications network typically consists of a number of remote stations which communicate with a central station over one or more two-way communications channels. For example, personal computers are typically connected to a wide variety of peripherals or other computers via wire cables, i.e., a hard-wired communications link. Moreover, local area networks (LAN's) are often used to integrate remote terminals that are located at the same site. Depending upon the number of users, distance between terminals, number of peripherals, frequency of system reconfiguration, portability of the remote stations, etc., the hard-wired cable system may not be practical for a given application. Hence, various wireless communication technologies have been employed, particularly when a system includes a large number of users and/or portable, hand-held computer devices.
Among the more common wireless technologies are narrowband radio frequency (RF) systems, spread spectrum RF, ultrasonic, and infrared optical. Radio frequency systems are often significantly degraded by electromagnetic noise and interference, as well as by large signal amplitude variations and multipath interference. Moreover, RF systems are typically subject to governmental licensing and regulation. Alternative wireless systems employing ultrasonic sound waves experience severe problems with the complete loss of signals due to nulls in the transmission path.
Optical-infrared communications, however, is not affected by electromagnetic interference, and is much less susceptible to multipath interference. Furthermore, optical systems are inherently secure (since the infrared light does not penetrate walls), have no known health or safety effects, and are not subject to F.C.C. regulation. Moreover, infrared transceivers draw relatively low currents, which is particularly important with respect to hand-held battery-powered portable computers. Thus, the use of infrared light as the wireless medium is well suited to such applications.
In order for the remote stations to communicate with the central station, the remote stations must be able to gain access to the commonly-shared communications channel using some type of multiple-access signalling or control protocol As used in the data communications field, a "protocol" is a formal set of rules governing the format and control of inputs and outputs between two communicating devices in order to ensure the orderly transfer of information. Typical multiple-access protocols may be categorized into two broad classes: contention-based protocols (i.e., random access), and noncontention-based protocols, (i.e., scheduled access). Contention-based protocols are characterized in that any remote user with a data message can contend for the channel by transmitting its data message immediately in an on-demand fashion, taking the chance that no other remote stations will transmit at the same time and thus collide with it. When a collision occurs, the data message is seldom received correctly, if at all. Since there is no coordination between contending remote stations, the number of collisions dramatically increases as the number of users increase, or as the channel load increases. Hence, contention-based protocols are not suitable for many data communications applications.
Noncontention-based protocols are characterized in that they provide the necessary coordination between the remote stations to ensure that no two remote stations transmit at the same time to contend for the channel. In other words, the users in a noncontention system take turns accessing the network in an orderly fashion such that collisions between users are avoided. Noncontention channel access is usually implemented using some type of polling technique, wherein the central station sends a control message or synchronization signal to the remote stations as an indication for the remote to respond by transmitting data on the channel.
Using the well-known "explicit polling" technique, the central controller sends a polling signal to each remote station, individually, to inquire if the remote has any information to send. A "poll list" of remote station addresses is used by the central controller to determine when a remote station is to be polled. If the polled remote station doesn't have a data message to send over the channel, the central controller goes on to poll the next remote. If the remote station does have a message to send, the data message is immediately transmitted over the channel in response to the poll. As used herein, the term "polling" includes the second-half of the procedure, wherein the polled stations return a message. Explicit polling has traditionally been considered rather inefficient, since each remote station has to wait for its individualized poll, establish bit and character synchronization, and then transmit its data message in response to the poll. Hence, a significant portion of the overall channel capacity is consumed by the polling signals themselves.
Another noncontention-based multiple-access protocol is referred to as "implicit polling." Under the implicit polling technique, each timing cycle on the channel is divided into a number of time slots, and a specific time slot within each cycle is reserved for a particular remote station. Each remote station, which is synchronized in time with the central station, is implicitly granted access to the channel during its individual time slot. In other words, the channel access is controlled by reserving time slots for each remote station to transmit, rather than being controlled by explicit polling signals from the central station.
In multipoint data communications networks using the implicit polling protocol, a fixed transmission time slot is reserved for each remote station in the network. Each time slot must be of a sufficient length to contain an entire data message packet. Hence, the channel is efficiently utilized only if each remote station has a data message to send during each cycle. If, however, only a few of the remote stations have messages to send during each cycle, then the channel remains idle during the preassigned time slots allocated to these non-responsive remote stations. When only a fraction of the remote users have data messages to send, an enormous amount of channel capacity is wasted in the empty time slots of an implicit polling system.
Therefore, a need exists for an improved multi-access data communications protocol which retains the collision-avoidance advantages of a noncontention-based channel access protocol, while circumventing the disadvantages of the enormous overhead commonly associated with customary polling protocols.